CEG: South Bank

Gallery

In Brief

Client:CEG

Location:Leeds

Cost:£350m

The new proposals for CEG: South Bank reflect the spirit and ambition that brought progress and prosperity to Leeds through the pioneering entrepreneurs who shaped the city in the 18th and 19th Centuries.

This 3.52 ha development respects its historic context and industrial past whilst enabling a new sustainable community to grow. The mixed-use scheme will deliver 130,000m² of accommodation, set within a backdrop of new public spaces and landscaping.

The masterplan has been developed around a series of key linkages that thread the neighbourhood together. Main routes to Leeds city centre and the train station are reinforced and connections through and around the site provide a new network of pedestrian and cycle paths that weave the emerging community into the existing city.

Mill style buildings will be punctuated by taller modern ‘chimneys’ that echo the campanile towers of Tower Works. Brick, terracotta and industrial metalwork reference the vernacular architecture to inform the palette of building materials.

A series of public open spaces are set within the quarter, responding in size and character to the historic and emerging context. The landscaping ties railway infrastructure, water courses and the listed Hol Beck Bridge into new streets and squares to create a place that is both progressively and distinctly South Bank.

A hybrid planning application was submitted for the site in September 2017.

Design

Located partly within the Holbeck Conservation Area and to the south west of the Canal Wharf Conservation Area, there are a number of listed and historical industrial buildings in the local vicinity which provide the context for much of the development.

On the eastern side the new city fabric reflects this historical context in its scale and character, while the west, which includes three taller residential towers, takes its cues from the wider city centre with a more contemporary approach

Globe Point

Alongside the wider masterplan, FCBStudios have designed two office buildings at Globe Point in detail that provide 22,727m2 of new Grade A office space.

On the historical east of the site, Globe Point 01 is an expressive flat iron building with smaller floorplates (575m2 typically) that marks the approach from Water Lane and key routes to the city centre.

Globe Point 02 provides larger floorplates, typically of 1,610m2 and will create a backdrop to the new public space at the centre of CEG:South Bank.

Testimonial

This mixed-use development will transform a semi-derelict and underused area and strengthen links to neighbouring communities. It will be a focus for people to live, work and enjoy leisure time in Leeds. Jon Kenny, Development Director, CEG

A Changing Context

The Holbeck area experienced rapid expansion in the late 18th century with the rise of steam power, the opening of the canal and improved bridges and roads, and later, railways. Holbeck was an industrial powerhouse until the end of the 19th century.

The 20th century saw a decline in heavy industries. Small scale manufacture and printing moved in and slum clearance left the industrial area isolated.

In the 21st century, development in the South Bank area including Granary Wharf, the new southern station entrance and the proposed arrival of HS2 add to the major regeneration opportunity in Holbeck.